Didelphis virginiana
Kerr, 1792
Virginia Opossum
Taxonomy
| Subclass | : Theria |
| Infraclass | : Marsupialia |
| Superorder | : Ameridelphia |
| Order | : Didelphimorphia |
| Family | : Didelphidae |
| Subfamily | : Didelphinae |
| Tribe | : Didelphini |
| Genus | : Didelphis |
Species status
Authority citation
Kerr, R. 1792. The Animal Kingdom, or Zoological System of the celebrated Sir Charles Linnaeus. Class I. Mammalia. A. Strahan, T. Cadell, and W. Creech, Edinburgh, 462 pp.
Authority publication link
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/38664217Original name as described
Didelphis virginiana
Other common names
North American Opossum
Type material
untraced (number not known)
Type kind
nonexistent
Type locality
"Virginia, Louisiana, Mexico, Brasil, and Peru." Restricted by J. A. Allen in 1901 to "Virginia."
Biogeographic realm
Nearctic · Neotropic
Country distribution
Canada · United States · Mexico · Belize · Honduras · Guatemala · El Salvador · Costa Rica
Subregion distribution
USA(CO,NM,NE,IA,WI,KS,TX,OK,MO,AR,LA,MS,AL,FL,GA,SC,NC,TN,IL,IN,MI,OH,KY,VA,PA,DC,MD,NJ,DE,NY,CT,MA,RI,NH,VT,ME)
Distribution notes
SE Canada (SE Ontario and S Quebec) through E and C United States (with isolated populations as far W as Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, although it is uncertain if these are native or introduced), Mexico, and Central America S to Costa Rica. Introduced to the W United States (California, Oregon, Washington, and WC Idaho) and SW Canada (SW British Columbia) during the Great Depression.
Taxonomy notes citation
Cerqueira, R., and Tribe, C. J. (2008). Genus Didelphis Linnaeus, 1758. In: A. L. Gardner, Mammals of South America, Volume 1: Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and Bats. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp. 17-25. · Amador, L. I., & Giannini, N. P. (2016). Phylogeny and evolution of body mass in didelphid marsupials (Marsupialia: Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae). Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 16(3), 641-657. · Dias, C. A., & Perini, F. A. (2018). Biogeography and early emergence of the genus Didelphis (Didelphimorphia, Mammalia). Zoologica Scripta, 47(6), 645-654. · Dias, C. A. R., dos Santos Junior, J. E., Pinto, C. M., Santos, F. R., & Perini, F. A. (2021). Mitogenomics of Didelphis (Mammalia; Didelphimorphia; Didelphidae) and insights into character evolution in the genus. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 59(2), 498-509.
IUCN Red List status
Least Concern
Species Permalink
https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1000023Country distribution map
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Names and synonyms
Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details. If the list is long, scroll down to see more.
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